


Second Chance

by DramioneConvert



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Beautiful and true friendship, F/M, Former Auror Hermione, HP: EWE, Is that your wand?, My magnum opus!, Not Epilogue Compliant, Quidditch, Romance, Slow Burn, Witty Banter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-22 05:54:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11373930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramioneConvert/pseuds/DramioneConvert
Summary: Hermione has been teaching at Hogwarts for three years , and she’s just been named as Head of Gryffindor House. When she attends her first Board of Governors meeting, that insufferable git Draco Malfoy strides back into her life. And she just keeps running into him. Sometimes literally. Now that they have a second chance at forming a relationship at Hogwarts, will it go differently this time around?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks as always to my best cheerleader, beta, and friend - HermioneJeanWayne! :-)

August 2004

Hermione sat in the warm sunshine, her legs crossed, her hands pressed behind her into the soft blanket she’d transfigured from a Kleenex. She let her head and her large mass of curls loll back so her face could bask in the light with her eyes gently closed. She breathed deeply and enjoyed the peaceful afternoon. Of course, there were the shouting and the trash talk in the background. The zooming of brooms and magical balls. The thuds of quaffles colliding with bats and bodies. Some people might not call this peaceful, but spending the afternoon here in the expansive and verdant field outside the Burrow, while her makeshift family engaged in their weekly, mostly friendly Quidditch match was just what she needed.

The beginning of a new term at Hogwarts was fast approaching, and she had been spending most every minute getting her lesson plans together and her classroom materials ready. This would be her fourth year of teaching Charms, one of her favorite subjects, so she was fairly comfortable with her post, but Headmistress McGonagall had decided to make her Head of Gryffindor House this year. It was a huge honor under any circumstance but especially for someone so young and new to the faculty. Hermione had no intention of letting her friend and mentor down.

Triumphant whooping pulled her out of her daze, and she surveyed the playing field. Harry had caught the snitch, and he and Ginny were high fiving. Ron and George were rolling their eyes and skulking nearby. Harry and Ginny’s celebration soon devolved into a different kind of embrace, and the Weasley brothers made dramatic gagging noises as they came over to flop on either side of Hermione on her blanket. Hermione smiled fondly at them.

“Potters beat the pants off the Weasleys again?” she teased.

Ron groaned. “One of them is a professional, isn’t she? It’s not exactly a fair fight,” he grumbled.

Apparently, their fiery sister had extricated herself from her husband and wandered over. “ _Retired_ professional, Ron, so we’re all equal again,” Ginny pointed out as she smiled triumphantly down at them. “You have no excuse other than the obvious – we’re just better players.” She held her nose high in the air as Harry came to stand beside her, laughing and draping a loose arm around her waist.

Ron mumbled something that sounded like “showoffs.” Before Ginny could respond, George interjected.

“Now, now, baby siblings,” he crowed. “Hermione doesn’t come here to watch us fight. You’re clearly interrupting her Zen. She’s an old schoolmarm after all – her days of fun in the sun are numbered.” Hermione smacked him playfully on the shoulder.

“You’ll always be older than I am. Don’t forget that! In age at least. I don’t think you’ll ever catch up in maturity.” She glared at him exasperatedly. He smiled gleefully and gave her a wink.

Just then, Harry was hit in the legs by a small boy with wild black hair like his father. Harry almost toppled over from the force of it, but he laughed and leaned down to pick up his son.

“If you’re done playing, Dad, I’m supposed to tell you dinner is almost ready,” James said. Eyes twinkling, he added, “Can I ride back to the house with you?” Harry tousled his hair as they climbed on his broomstick and zoomed toward the Burrow. Hermione trailed along behind them and enjoyed the happiness shared amongst her surrogate family.

*******

The following morning, Hermione spent the last few minutes in her office trying to calm some of the frizziness out of her hair. She had discovered a Muggle hair oil years ago that did wonders to tame her curls, but when she got anxious, nothing could help the excited Magic rolling through her and crackling in her hair. Admitting defeat, she heaved a huge sigh and rushed to the Great Hall for the meeting. Today, McGonagall would be announcing her as Head of Gryffindor House to the Board of Governors for approval. When she arrived in the expansive room, she found the tables arranged in a horseshoe. She spoke to the Headmistress who directed her to a seat at the top of the formation near the end of the curve.

Various wizards and witches were scattered about the room in small groups chatting. Hermione looked around but found she didn’t know many of the Governors, most quite a few years her senior. Minerva called the meeting to order, and the crowd of about 20 quickly took their seats. As the Headmistress was opening her mouth to welcome everyone, the doors of the Great Hall burst open and none other than Draco Malfoy strode in. The assembled crowd watched his long, purposeful strides as he approached and took the last chair available, directly across from Hermione. As he sat, their eyes met, and Hermione saw a quick flash of shock in his face before he returned to his normal schooled appearance. She couldn’t help raising her chin a little as she fixed him with a cool stare to mirror his own. He gave her his trademark smirk before breaking their gaze ( _rather haughtily_ , Hermione thought) to give his attention to the Headmistress.

“Now that we’re all here,” McGonagall began with a sideways glance at Draco, “Welcome to the Fall Planning Session of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Board of Governors.” Although Hermione had never attended a Hogwarts Board Meeting before, she found herself distracted from the proceedings by her surprise at seeing Malfoy. He must have inherited the seat from his father. Lucius was still alive, but given his poor health and life sentence of house arrest, he couldn’t very well participate as a Governor anymore.

Honestly, Hermione was rather turned off by politics and until today, hadn’t really given much thought to the Board – who was on it and what they did. She easily lost attention as someone droned through the minutes of the last meeting.

Staring at the blond wizard across the aisle, a flood of memories came back to her. Hearing the word “Mudblood” spat at her more times than she could count. Punching him in the face third year. Hearing him warn her and her friends about the coming Death Eaters after the Quidditch world cup. Seeing him bouncing in the air as a transfigured ferret. Running from him and his cronies on the Inquisitorial Squad under that cow Delores Umbridge. Being horrified at both how terrible and terrified he looked sixth year only to be shocked at what he ultimately did. Being dragged into his family home by snatchers and being dumbfounded to find that he didn’t readily identify them to his Dark Lord’s followers. Looking into those gray eyes filled with anxiety as she lay on his stone floor while his aunt delighted in torturing her. Seeing him and his family totally broken after the Battle of Hogwarts. And then lastly, taking the stand for him at his trial.

It certainly caused a big to do – two members of the Golden Trio testifying on behalf of a Death Eater – but she and Harry would not be silenced. Harry owed his life to Narcissa Malfoy for lying to Voldemort in the forest that day, and Hermione couldn’t stand the injustice. Of all the horrible things that Malfoy had done, she had finally seen him for what he was. A terrified child forced into being a pawn in a man’s game. By the end of the war, both sides were battered and bruised. As horrible as he’d been to her as children, she couldn’t stand the thought of him rotting in Azkaban for the rest of his life. Lucius’ only saving grace had been his severely deteriorated health.

Hermione had run down this list of memories so many times that it was like watching a familiar slideshow. Malfoy was somewhat of an enigma to her. Coming from a loving, encouraging, upper middle-class family, she couldn’t imagine what his childhood must have been like – growing up in one of the wealthiest wizarding families in Britain with a zealot for a father. And for all Draco’s tough exterior, she witnessed it beginning to crack first hand in their sixth year to become only a shell by the end of the war.

She was pleased to see he had come a long way since then. She hadn’t seen him in person since his trial although his picture graced the pages of the Prophet on the regular. He had a much healthier look to him now, and his sharp features had softened somewhat into a handsome face with a strong jaw. _He looks bloody fit_ , she thought, and then immediately wondered where in the hell that had come from.

Just then, she heard McGonagall say her name, and all eyes in the room turned in her direction. Embarrassed at totally spacing out in this important meeting, she looked frantically at the head of the table. Minerva gestured for her to stand, and she did so trying to fight a furious blush creeping up her neck. She looked out at the Board again and of course, looked straight into the face of the object of her distraction.

She forced a small smile on her lips and scanned the rest of the faces. Some smiled encouragingly while others seemed to be sizing her up. She sat down a little too quickly causing a bit of a clatter in her chair that echoed easily in the Great Hall.

“Does anyone have any questions for the proposed Head of Gryffindor House?” McGonagall asked the Board.

“Headmistress,” a drawling voice began, and Hermione nervously snapped her head towards Malfoy. “I have a question.”

“Go ahead, Mr. Malfoy,” McGonagall urged, seeming exasperated already. Hermione swallowed hard.

Draco turned his steely gaze on her. “It is rather unprecedented for the position of Head of House to be bestowed on someone so young – both in age and in tenure. How do you feel you are qualified for the job?”

Hermione was shocked into silence for a few seconds before she recovered. “After the war, I helped to literally rebuild this school. My blood, sweat, and tears are a part of these walls. I then went on to receive top marks on all my NEWTs, pass the rigors of Auror training, and work in the field for the Ministry for two years. I have successfully taught all levels of Charms through the most advanced the school offers for the last three years, and my evaluations by the Headmistress and my peers have been exemplary.” She knew professionalism dictated she should stop there, but that smug look on Malfoy’s face forced her to press on. “And no one could argue that _I_ bought my way here,” she snapped pointedly.

Infuriatingly, Draco seemed to look even more smug somehow, and she thought she saw the tiniest hint of a smile at the edge of his mouth. As she was glaring daggers at him, McGonagall quickly got to her feet to head off the next retort.

“Thank you, Professor Granger,” she said with an imploring look on her face. Hermione took the hint, and giving a small bow of her head, she exited the room. She barely made it out of the Great Hall before she balled her hands into fists and shook them wildly. “That insufferable git hasn’t changed at all!” she huffed.

*******

Hermione spent the rest of the afternoon muttering indignantly to herself while trying to get some work done. She finally gave up at half five and went to her room for a hot bath. There was a reception tonight for all the faculty and the Board, and she would be formally introduced as Head of Gryffindor, if Malfoy’s little stunt hadn’t completely discredited her.

She wanted to look her absolute best and spent much more time than normal getting ready. She finally decided on twisting her hair into a loose bun on the side of her neck, allowing a few stray curls to fall attractively around her face, and a new set of dress robes in a deep burgundy with a delicate gold trim. She took one last look in the mirror and hoped Godric Gryffindor would approve of her homage to their colors.

As she made her way to the Great Hall for the second time today, she tried to breathe deeply and force herself to forget about blond prats with smart mouths. She hoped there would be a large enough crowd to avoid him entirely.

She rather enjoyed milling about and reconnecting with her friends on staff and even managed to meet a few of the Board members she didn’t know. Things were going quite well, and she was pleasantly surprised. She was going through the buffet line when someone sidled up next to her and spoke a little too close for comfort.

“You’re looking well tonight, Granger, although green is always a better color than red.”

Hermione gave a little gasp and a start and looked up to find Malfoy’s slate gray eyes staring down at her with amusement. She noticed his dress robes were jade green, and she narrowed her eyes at him. “You questioned my abilities in front of a group today. I don’t need your backhanded compliments in private,” she snapped and went back to filling her plate.

He continued along beside her. “You’re welcome for that,” he drawled. Incensed, Hermione was working herself into a huff to respond when he chuckled. “For the Brightest Witch of Her Age, you can be pretty thick sometimes.” Now, she was confused. It caused her angry retort to fall right out of her mouth. She furrowed her brows and cocked her head.

Draco rolled his eyes and bent down to whisper in her ear. She bristled at the proximity but stood her ground. “Some of those dotty old fools were looking at you like a piece of meat. They needed to know why you were chosen for the job – not just as a PR stunt. Your reputation as a war hero precedes you, but not everyone, especially some of the old families, gives you the credit you’re due.” At that pronouncement, she pulled back to look at him, astonished. It was true – some of the faces around the table weren’t exactly friendly. But wasn’t he part of one of those old families?

Malfoy regained his height advantage and made a show of going back to filling his plate. “I knew if I questioned you, you’d rise to the occasion. You always play your part, Granger. That bit at the end though was unexpected.” Her eyes widened, and he looked down at her again. “Don’t worry – you didn’t hurt my feelings.” Then he winked!

Hermione glared at him again. He full out smiled at that. “Actually, I rather liked it. Showed them you had some mettle about you. I already knew that, of course.” He looked into her eyes for a few seconds, and his expression seemed to turn a bit somber. He turned back to the food.

It was all too much to process. Hermione let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and shook her head to clear it. She went back to filling her plate, too, her mind running a marathon through this new information.

“Why?” she asked at the end of the table, turning to peer up at him again. “Why would you try to help me?”

Malfoy looked taken aback for a few moments, seeming to struggle with how to answer such a direct question. Something appeared to solidify in his mind, and he stood a little straighter. He lowered his voice to almost a whisper. “You helped me in front of a group once, too.” She knew exactly what he meant – the Wizengamot. She blushed a little as they continued to stare at each other for an immeasurable moment, standing awkwardly in the middle of the reception.

The tinkling of glass made them both look toward the front of the room. Headmistress McGonagall put down her cup and raised her wand to her throat to amplify her voice. “Could I please have your attention? I want to thank the Board of Directors and all the faculty for being here tonight. I’ll be brief so you can enjoy the rest of your evening. I especially want to formally announce our new Head of Gryffindor House, Professor Hermione Granger.” Minerva gestured to Hermione and all eyes followed. A round of applause rose up from the crowd, and Hermione smiled nervously. She chanced a sideways glance at Draco only to realize he was gone. She made a quick search for him around the room, but he was nowhere to be found.

After the announcements, she found a seat next to Neville, now Herbology Professor Longbottom, and asked about Luna and their son. She couldn’t help stealing glances around the room for Draco though, but she didn’t see him again for the rest of the night. Reluctant as she was to admit it to herself, she was actually disappointed. _What a strange turn this night has taken_ , she thought.

*******


	2. Chapter 2

The following week, the students came, and Hermione was so busy with her classes and Head duties that she didn’t have much time to think about Draco…or anything else really. She was midway through the term when she was finally able to get together with Harry, Ginny, and Ron for a belated birthday celebration one weekend in Hogsmeade (decidedly NOT one of the student weekends). Hermione loved her students and her job, but Merlin – she needed a break! And proper adult conversation (perhaps accompanied by adult libations).

Saturday afternoon found her thoroughly enjoying herself listening to Ginny’s tales of little James’ most recent exploits. Ron updated them on all the latest gadgets he and George were working on at Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, and Harry talked about his work with the Ministry. Hermione was well into her third butterbeer, feeling more relaxed than she had in months, when she heard Harry say Malfoy’s name. She snapped her head up to look at him and felt Ginny appraising her out of the corner of her eye. She tried hard to hide her sudden interest with nonchalance and knew she was failing dismally under Ginny’s discerning stare.

“Ugh – you still have to go and check up on that slimy bastard? After all these years?” Ron was asking, obviously disgusted at the thought. Harry rolled his eyes.

“He’s one of only a few Death Eaters still alive that aren’t in Azkaban. Of course, the Ministry wants an Auror checking in on him from time to time,” Harry explained with a weariness that suggested they’d had this conversation several times before. “It’s really only a formality now. Lucius is merely a shell of the man he once was. Even if he was still keen on pushing the Pureblood agenda from the War - which I don’t believe he is - physically, he’s not able. He’s no threat anymore.”

“Bet he could get the Ferret to toe the line for him if he wanted,” Ron continued to grumble.

Now, it was Hermione’s turn to roll her eyes. “Give it up, Ronald,” she huffed irritably. “You know Draco was forced into all that against his will, and he was acquitted of all charges. You were at the trial.” Ron had come ostensibly for moral support for Hermione as it was during their short stint of dating, but she expected it was probably more from some sense of morbid curiosity than anything else. Either way, he had heard all the testimony the same as she had.

Suddenly, Hermione was keenly aware of Ginny still evaluating her, and she busied herself with polishing off her drink.

“If you two hadn’t stood up for him, he wouldn’t have been so lucky!” Ron protested.

Harry must have really been losing his patience because he took his glasses off to wipe them on his robes. “For the last time, mate – Malfoy has really done well for himself. He’s taken the helm of Malfoy Enterprises and steered it away from its considerably shady business dealings of the past. He gave a significant amount of money to restoration efforts after the War, and he never gives me any trouble when I go to the Manor for the mandated visits. He’s still an arrogant prat, but we’ve reached an understanding.”

Hermione couldn’t help but soak all this in with a mystified expression on her face. Thinking back to her interaction with him before the start of the term, the only logical conclusion was that he actually had changed – had put all that hate behind him. She had to feel a little respect for him for that.

“Yeah, yeah, he’s a fucking saint. So I’ve heard,” Ron mumbled, but she could tell he was done for now. Had he always been this belligerent? Then he turned to look at her – amusement in his eyes. One good thing about Ron was although he flared his redheaded temper often, it never lasted long.

“Oi, Mione! What’s it like to be Head of Gryffindor House? Have you learned to be an Animagus yet and sneak up on unsuspecting students?” Hermione snorted and smacked his arm playfully, and the tension (along with the discussion of Malfoy) at the table dissipated. She internally breathed a sigh of relief, but she knew the other redhead at the table, the one with far more of a penchant for constant vigilance, was not going to let what she gathered today go.

Hermione was proven right when an hour or so later, Harry and Ron said their goodbyes. They were headed to the Burrow, Harry to get James and Ron for dinner (apparently, the man still couldn’t cook for himself), when Ginny announced she would be along a little later. Harry gave her an appraising look, and she brushed him off as wanting to have a little girl talk with Hermione. Harry was no fool though, and Hermione knew he would probably follow up with his wife about it later.

No sooner had the door closed behind them, did Ginny turn on her. “Okay, what’s going on? Why were you so interested in Malfoy?” Hermione didn’t know what to say so she tried to play dumb.

“I don’t know what you mean. You’ve heard us have that same conversation a million times. You know Ron just won’t let it go.”

That didn’t fool Ginny for one second. “Yeah, but you’ve never responded that way. Something has changed. Have you talked to Malfoy?” Bloody hell – the woman was relentless – and maybe even a Legilimens.

Hermione sighed and averted her imploring stare. “Yes… Well, you know ever since the War, I’ve been puzzled by how he acted. What life must have been like for him. Then, I saw him right before the term started.” She told her all about what happened at the meeting and then at the reception later.

Ginny sat back in her chair and folded her arms, eyeing Hermione speculatively.

“What?” Hermione said, self-consciously.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you have a little crush on him,” Ginny teased and waggled her eyebrows.

“No! That’s ridiculous!” Hermione all but yelled.

“Me thinks the lady doth protest too much,” Ginny quoted. Hermione narrowed her eyes. Ginny laughed and held up her hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay – don’t hex me under the table! I agree with you that Draco Malfoy is a bit of a puzzle. A deliciously attractive puzzle…” Hermione glared again. “But a puzzle nonetheless,” Ginny continued quickly. “In all seriousness, he has to appreciate what you and Harry did for him. I understand how that would really stick with him. It could be a total game changer. In addition to everything else we know about his life since Hogwarts, it’s not that far-fetched that he might want to return the favor in some small way, if the opportunity presented itself.”

They were quiet for a second, and Ginny said, “Of course, he’ll always be a Slytherin so he wouldn’t go too far out of his way…” She trailed off and smiled to lighten the mood. She could tell she hadn’t quite hit on what Hermione needed though. “There’s nothing wrong with not hating him anymore, you know. The past is the past, and he doesn’t seem to want to repeat it. He and Harry are quite civil to each other.”

Her words finally made their mark. Hermione smiled at her friend gratefully. “Thanks for listening and understanding. It confused me, but it was probably just a one-time thing. I’m glad life is going so well for him though.” A little while later, they said their goodbyes, and Hermione enjoyed her short walk back to the castle. Of course, it was not the last time she’d see Draco Malfoy. Life didn’t work that way for Hermione Granger.  

*******

Hermione threw herself back into work, and the next time she looked up, it was winter hols. Of course, she made time for regular owls to her friends and the occasional fire call to Ginny (especially since she and Harry were expecting again). She’d even been to Sunday dinner at the Burrow once or twice, but when school was in session, she really focused on her work. The only frivolity she insisted on honoring was regular tea with Hagrid. The students had gone home yesterday, and she was looking forward to some time for herself and also the fun things she had planned with friends and family over the break.

She took her time getting ready, doing all the things she liked to do but never had time for, put on her most comfy jeans and last year’s Weasley jumper and headed down for a late breakfast. As she turned the last corner before the entrance to the Great Hall, she ran full tilt into someone. She staggered back and looked up to apologize.

“I’m so sorry! I don’t know…” she started to rush out, but at the sight of the uncharacteristically disheveled blond in front of her, she stopped short.

Draco looked momentarily shocked, and then ran a hand through his hair while straightening up and trying to slip back into his normal nonchalance. “Merlin, Granger – if I wanted this kind of abuse, I would have stayed at my office.” There was the smirk again. _At least it’s not the old sneer_ , Hermione thought.

She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow. _Did Malfoy just make a joke? Not at someone else’s expense?_ “What’s the matter, Malfoy? Your minions not as devoted as you’d like?” she shot back cheekily.

Now, it was his turn to cock an eyebrow. “You wound me, Granger,” he said dryly. She couldn’t help a short laugh at that and found herself smiling at him. _What is happening_ … she thought.

“Umm…” she started awkwardly, just for something to say. “What are you doing here?”

“Board of Governors meeting,” he replied quickly.

“Oh! I’m so glad I ran into you!” Now, both blond brows shot up. Realizing what she said, she blushed furiously and started to stutter. “I – I mean – I had forgotten all about the meeting! I was about to head into the Great Hall for breakfast. I would have made a complete arse of myself!” She wanted to just cover her face with her hands, but she channeled her Gryffindor courage and tried to maintain a normal (although quite red) face.

A wicked grin began to light Malfoy’s face. “Ah, so it seems I’ve saved you twice now. I think you owe me something in return.” Hermione was sure she was gawking at him in a most unattractive fashion, but she really had no idea where he was going with this.

“I wouldn’t go that far…” she began, unsure.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Granger. I wasn’t suggesting that…yet,” he said with a wink. _Here comes the blush again_ , she thought with an eyeroll. “It seems we have a 3 hour break this afternoon before dinner, and I wondered if you’d like to accompany me to Hogsmeade for tea. I’d be so bored without anything to occupy my time.”

Hermione studied his face. He seemed casual and relaxed, but his gray eyes hinted at some underlying tension. Upon closer inspection, a muscle in his jaw was twitching, and she realized that what she perceived as an angry set of his jaw in the past might now be schooled anxiety. _Curious,_ she thought, while studying him like one of her textbooks.

“Okay,” she said quietly. And then a little louder, “I suppose I can squeeze that in.” She did her best to imitate his smirk.

Malfoy gave her a dramatic bow of his head. “How magnanimous of you. I’ll meet you here at 4 this afternoon,” he drawled. With amusement in his eyes, he turned and strode down the hall. Hermione stared blankly after him before her stomach growled loudly to remind her of her previous quest. She walked down to the kitchen and ate her breakfast in a daze. _Draco Malfoy just asked me to tea. And I accepted. Sweet Mother of Merlin! What have I gotten myself into?!_

*******

Although Hermione had intended to spend the day leisurely organizing and cleaning her office, she found she had a hard time concentrating on the tasks at hand. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Malfoy and why in the world he’d want to spend his free time with her. Sure, maybe he didn’t hate her anymore, maybe he wasn’t disgusted by her blood status. But other than that, what else was there between them? That had really been the extent of their relationship up until now. Wouldn’t he rather skulk around the castle than socialize with her?

There was another part of her, a less bookish and more girly side, that was obsessing over what to wear. As much as she loved her denims and sweater, they did not seem appropriate for tea with the former Slytherin prince. She would be embarrassed to admit how much time she had spent trying on different outfits and attempting to do something, anything, with her hair. As usual, it had a mind of its own, and she finally gave up fighting it.

In the end, she decided on a gray wool pencil skirt, thick black tights, a soft purple sweater, and black ballet flats with tiny crystal flowers on the toe. She fidgeted in front of the mirror for a few more minutes, grabbed her black pea coat, and kissed Crookshanks on the way out the door.

She hurried to meet Malfoy, but she took that last corner a little slower than she had this morning. It’s a good thing she did, too, because the git was just on the other side lounging casually against the wall with one leg crossed at the ankle.

“Good on you,” he said, raking his eyes over her new appearance. “I was prepared to be bowled over again, but you managed to contain your excitement this time.” She flushed a little under his appraising stare and wondered if it was possible he was actually complimenting her on more than just not running into him again.

“If you don’t want people to run into you, maybe you shouldn’t hide behind walls in major thoroughfares,” she said haughtily as she looked down her nose at him.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he chuckled as he pushed off from the wall. Hermione fell in step beside him as they walked out of the castle. She slipped into her coat as they descended the stairs and cast a nonverbal warming charm on them both.

Malfoy looked down at her, surprised. She gave him a shy smile. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

They walked in silence for a bit, enjoying the brisk air and the beautiful snow-covered trees along the path.

“What’s it like working here?” he asked.

She looked out over the grounds. “I have so many memories of this place. So many emotions associated with it – both good and bad.” She snuck a quick glance at him, and he was looking straight ahead, literally trudging onward, so she continued. “Obviously, the most formative years of my life were spent here. In a sense, it’s very strange to be here as an adult, as a part of the faculty. But in another way, it’s like coming home. When I joined the magical world, Hogwarts became my home.”

They walked silently again until Hermione worked up her nerve to ask a question of him. “What’s it like taking over your father’s company?”

He hesitated for a while, and she wondered if it was too personal a question. “It’s been an interesting journey,” he said quietly. “Father is not able to tend to it anymore. The responsibility fell to me, but I _did_ have a choice. I made it clear to him that if I took it on, I would be running it my way. I blindly followed all his orders for most of my life. After the War, I decided that I have no intention of doing that again.” He said the last part rather fiercely, and Hermione snuck another glance at his face to find that same jaw muscle twitching again.

“I’ve heard that you’ve done quite well for yourself. And that you did a lot to help with the restoration efforts. It sounds like you have plenty to be proud of.” This time, it was his turn to glance at her, but she forced her eyes to remain ahead.

Suddenly, he stopped. Surprised, she turned to look at him.

“Why did you testify for me at my trial? I was abhorrent to you in school.” His eyes were molten silver and so intense she couldn’t speak. He shook his head and raked his hand through his hair roughly. “Merlin, I stood there and watched you being tortured in my own house, and I didn’t even do anything to stop it! How could you possibly have any compassion at all towards me?”

“You heard my testimony,” she said, almost in a whisper. When he didn’t respond, she continued, “You were just a child. We all were. You were simply a pawn of a madman, and he didn’t give you any choice. Besides, I could tell you had already started to break away from Voldemort, even if only in your mind.” At that, he dropped his head to look at the ground. “That day at the Manor, you refused to identify us to Bellatrix, your aunt and Voldemort’s second in command. That means something.”

He snorted. “Like that makes up for years of making your life hell.”

Hermione considered that for a moment. She took another long look at Draco. He was obviously eaten up with guilt. She understood what dwelling on those painful memories could do to a person and decided she was tired of focusing on the past.

“Like you even could – still got that Malfoy ego, I see.” Her attempt at humor was probably out of place, but at least he looked at her then. She gave him a small smile. He stared at her for an immeasurable moment.

“I’m truly sorry for the way I treated you, Hermione,” he said, more earnest than she’d ever seen him. She couldn’t help but thrill a little at his use of her name, too. _Merlin, I’m in trouble_ , she thought.

“You are forgiven,” she said with as much heavy meaning as she could muster.

“Thank you,” he said, and he smiled a little in return.

“Now, are you going to treat me to tea or not, Malfoy?” she asked with mock frustration.

She knew things would be okay now because Malfoy’s old smirk had returned. “Call me Draco, please,” he said imploringly, and she blushed. “And who said anything about treating you? I just asked if you would accompany me.” She swatted his arm playfully, and they started walking again. “Prat,” she said, but she was smiling.

*******

Seated with their tea at Madam Puddifoot’s, Hermione sipped her Earl Grey thoughtfully and ruminated on the stories her friends had about this place, especially the awkward interaction between Harry and Cho Chang.

“Fond memories of previous exploits in this establishment?” Draco drawled. Hermione almost choked on her chocolate croissant.

“Ha – no,” she said primly. “I didn’t have any exploits here. Actually, I never went to Hogsmeade with a boy.” _Before now_ , she thought, but she didn’t want to assume what this was or sound childish.

“Really?” He actually looked genuinely surprised. “The Weasel never brought you here?”

“Nope,” she popped the P. “Ron and I didn’t date in school you know.” Draco merely cocked an eyebrow at her. “Honestly. There was a lot of drama between us, sure, but we didn’t actually have our first kiss until the night of the Battle.”

Draco seemed to be considering that while he sipped his tea. “Did the Prophet just make up all that tripe about you spending a year in a tent with him and Potter then?”

She smiled knowingly. “They did make up quite a bit about me, but that one was actually true. We didn’t have any time for snogging though. We were kind of busy trying to defeat the darkest wizard our world has ever known.” She rolled her eyes, and he laughed.

“Besides, I was more like a mother than a girlfriend to them during that time…” She trailed off and looked down at her tea cup, trying not to think about how much it hurt when Ron left them in the forest.

“Kinky…” Draco said, and Hermione’s head snapped up. He was wearing the wicked grin from this morning, and he winked at her.

“You’re ridiculous,” she said, and she tried to scowl. It wasn’t working.

“Maybe so,” he drawled. “But I do have the distinction of the being the first man to take you to Hogsmeade. Obviously, you don’t think too poorly of me.” _Dammit, he could be charming_ , she thought.

“Either it’s a date, or it isn’t,” she shot back with a cheeky grin. “You can’t have it both ways, Draco…” She said his name slowly and deliberately.

At that, he actually blushed a little! _50 points to Gryffindor_ , she thought.

They spent the rest of their time together in easy conversation. They talked about the faculty at Hogwarts – who had left since their school days and who was still there. They talked about their respective friends and what they were up to these days. Apparently, Draco and some of his friends got together for regular Quidditch games, too. It was a nice afternoon, and Hermione was surprised to find herself totally relaxed as they walked back to the castle.

“Hogsmeade was a nice break when we were students, but as an adult, I find it lacking in the finer establishments,” Draco said when they were almost back to the stone steps.

Hermione wasn’t sure what that meant and looked to his face, but he had that same calm, relaxed demeanor from this morning that revealed nothing. The exact face he wore right before…

“Diagon Alley has many more nice restaurants to choose from. In fact, there’s a new Italian place I’ve enjoyed several times – La Donna E Mobile – have you been?” he continued as they traversed the stairs.

“No, I haven’t,” she said while trying to hide a smile. _What a very Slytherin way to ask me out… wait, is he asking me out?!_

At the top of the steps, he stopped and turned and she mirrored.

He looked her directly in the eye. “Would you like to have dinner with me there next weekend?”

“Yes, that would be lovely,” she replied with a smile.

His relaxed façade melted into true relaxation, and she made a mental note to pay attention to the subtle difference next time. The Draco Malfoy puzzle was starting to come together.

“Perfect. I’ll meet you there at 7 on Saturday.” He gave a small smile as he inclined his head in a slight nod. He turned toward the Great Hall but stopped after several paces and turned back. She was still staring at him.

“And Granger, the dress is semi-formal so do try to tame that wiry bush of a head of hair, will you?” He flashed her a radiant smile. She let out a huff of annoyance and reached for her wand, and he disappeared into the Great Hall with a flutter of his robes. She was sure he was laughing as the door closed behind him.

_Cheeky bastard_ , she thought. _I might have to employ Ginny’s infamous Bat-Bogey Hex if he keeps that up._


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione spent several days tidying up her classroom, office, and suite. As Saturday neared, she started to panic. She finally decided to call for reinforcements late Thursday night. Apparently, according to Ginny, she’d gone about this all wrong.

The redhead’s initial shock that Hermione was actually going on a date with Draco Malfoy was quickly overshadowed by the fact that it was less than 48 hours away.

“The dress is semi-formal, and you’re just telling me now?! I need more time to plan than that!” Her face bouncing amidst crackling wood in Hermione’s fireplace made her even scarier than she was in person.

“Umm…I’m sorry?” Hermione tried tentatively.

“Oh, sod your apologies!” Ginny snapped. “Here’s what we’re going to do. Tomorrow, we are going to meet in Diagon Alley for a planning lunch, and then we’ll spend the rest of the afternoon shopping. Let’s just pray to Merlin that we find something decent in time.”

“I already have a couple of dresses I could wear…” Hermione began, but one look at Ginny’s livid face, and she shut her trap. _Wrong again_ , she thought. “Right – see you tomorrow.”

Ginny was not playing games. She had a definite agenda, and Hermione decided it was best to stick to it. Thankfully, after innumerable outfits over several hours, they finally found a dress Ginny approved of. It was form-fitting black velvet with off the shoulder three-quarter length sleeves. Hermione thought that would mean she’d get to go home and put her feet up, but Ginny had other ideas. She declared they would now be going for facials and mani-pedis. By the time she got back to Hogwarts, she was completely knackered and fell on her back in her bed without even bothering to take her shoes off.

She laid there for a long time and considered what she was about to do. The impromptu tea was one thing, but this was something else. She, Hermione Granger, was preparing to go on a real date with Draco Malfoy. THE Draco Malfoy. She stared at her ceiling and wondered what her childhood self would have said if she heard that. Then she began laughing like a loon. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was glad she at least had a private suite as a teacher.

*******

The next day was fairly calm until Ginny stepped through her fireplace a little after 3. Hermione had had a nice lie in and then spent the rest of the morning in a hot bath reading Hogwarts: A History for probably the thousandth time. That was her typical routine when she was anxious about something, and thank Merlin – it had worked again. She had just arrived back in her room from a late lunch and a leisurely walk through the castle.

All that changed though when her entourage of 1 arrived.

No sooner had the fire dissipated than Ginny started in a ramble. “Sorry I’m late!” Hermione did a quick time check with her wand, confused. “I had a hard time getting James down for his nap. Now we only have about 3.5 hours to work with. I hope we can get you presentable in that time.” At that, she stopped and looked at Hermione’s crossed arms and cocked eyebrow and had the good sense to look a little sheepish. “I’m sure we’ll be fine,” she said apologetically. Hermione rolled her eyes.

The next several hours were spent in a blur of self-maintenance the likes of which Hermione had never experienced before. She’d been plucked, powdered, and preened until she could barely see straight. Finally, Ginny put a light coat of pink lipstick on her magically softened lips and stood back to assess her work. She must have been happy because she dragged Hermione over to face the full-length mirror.

Ginny had really outdone herself. Hermione thought back on the last time she had been so done up, and it would have been the Potters’ wedding – quite a few years ago now – and she hadn’t had near the focused attention she’d had today.

“Wow, Ginny,” she said as she turned a little to see the back of her sleek up-do. “What if he doesn’t recognize me?” she teased.

“Nonsense. You’re still very much you. And I had plenty to work with – trust me.”

Hermione smiled gratefully at her. “Thank you - really.”

Ginny checked the time and kissed her cheek as she pushed her towards the fireplace. “You go on ahead. I’ll clean up here. Have a great time!”

Before Hermione knew it, she was stepping out of the fireplace at the restaurant. She didn’t even have time to be nervous because Draco was standing there waiting for her. He was wearing a dark charcoal Muggle suit that was perfectly tailored to accent his tall frame. _He’s really filled out since we were kids_ , Hermione thought, and then blushed as he caught her appraising him.

“Wow, Granger. You really took my advice to heart,” he drawled, making a show of raking his eyes over her from her black patent heels to her tamed curls.

She raised her chin a little in defiance. “Not at all,” she sniffed. “I had nothing to do with it. This was all Ginny’s work.”

Draco let out a low whistle. “Remind me to send her a fruit basket…” She snapped her eyes to his, and he winked at her. She gave him a shy smile as the blush overtook her.

He offered his elbow, and she was delighted at the feeling of walking arm in arm with him. Other than that punch in third year and running smack into him last week, they’d never touched. She suddenly felt like a million galleons, and she loved the strength and security of being on his arm.

As they sat at the table (Draco pulled out her chair), Hermione said, “So, do you know what the name of the restaurant means?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is this a test? You do know that Malfoy is French, right? French and Italian are remarkably similar.” He grinned smugly.

“Oh, of course,” she said nonchalantly with a wave of her hand while she put her napkin in her lap. “The translation of the phrase isn’t the test.” She flashed _her_ wicked grin.

He looked a little taken aback, but he recovered quickly. “By all means, go ahead, Professor.” He drew out her title and waved his hand carelessly just as she had.

“What is the _significance_ of the phrase?” she continued.

“You mean other than the fact that it’s true?” Draco feigned innocence, and she scowled deeply at him.

He actually let out a belly laugh at that and threw his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay – before you hex me under the table…”

“People seem to say that to me a lot,” she muttered. He raised both brows asking for her to clarify, but she just waved him off again. “Never mind. Quit stalling and answer the question. If you can.” She smiled sweetly and waited.

“Oh…” he said with emphasis, like the thought was just coming to him. “You must mean the reference to the iconic Italian opera – Rigoletto – by the renowned composer Giuseppe Verdi?”

Hermione’s mouth fell open a little bit in shock. With a chuckle, Draco closed his menu and pointed to the text on the front. It detailed the history behind the name. She rolled her eyes.

“That’s cheating,” she said. “I should dock points from Slytherin.”

Now, the prat rolled his eyes dramatically and pointed to the small line of text at the bottom. It read, “La Donna E Mobile is owned by Malfoy Enterprises.”

She looked up to his eyes, shock covering her face again.

“You know Muggle opera?” she asked incredulously.

“I am a man of many surprises, Granger,” he smiled smugly again as if that was enough.

Hermione gestured impatiently for him to continue.

He sighed. “Yes, I enjoy some opera. Just because I’m a pureblood doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the finer points of Muggle culture. I couldn’t resist some of their music and writings if I tried.”

After that, Hermione implored him to tell her about which books he’d read, and the situation escalated from there. By the time dessert came, she was well and truly smitten. She knew Draco was smart. He had been right behind her in a few of their classes, but she had no idea he was an intellectual. She was delighted to find they enjoyed some of the same authors, and they had a few rather heated debates about their thoughts on their most prominent writings.

As she finished off her last bite of tiramisu, she closed her eyes and sighed. “That was exquisite.” When she opened them again, he was leaning back in his chair regarding her from across the table. Suddenly, she was quite self-conscious about her little display of pleasure.

“Yes,” he said slowly, “Exquisite indeed.” She had to break from the intensity of his gaze and busied herself wiping invisible lint from her skirt. “Would you like to go to the roof for coffee?”

Hermione looked up at him, confused. “The roof?”

He just smiled and flagged down the waiter. In hushed tones, he informed him they would be taking their coffee on the roof. “Yes, Mr. Malfoy,” the man said and hurried off in the direction of the kitchen.

Draco stood and came around to Hermione’s chair, but she just stared at him. He rolled his eyes and grabbed her by the elbow. “Come on, Granger, I’m not kidnapping you. I just want to show you something.” She went along, although somewhat reluctantly, and after ascending a staircase by the Maître D’s stand she hadn’t noticed before, found herself indeed on the roof. The area was obviously the makings of a bar under construction, but it offered a panoramic view of the city.

“Oh…” she breathed as she went to the rail to look out over the twinkling lights of London.

Malfoy chuckled as he came up beside her. “I take it you like it then?” he said as he handed her a cup and saucer.

“It’s gorgeous. Was it your idea?” She sipped her coffee and turned to look at him.

He looked out over the city. “It’s something I’d been thinking about for a while. We couldn’t get it ready in time for the opening a few months ago, but it _will_ be ready by Valentine’s Day. Should make us quite the romantic destination or some such rot.” He smiled wryly down at her.

She gave him a knowing grin. “Very savvy, Malfoy. And the invisible barrier to keep it warm up here without detracting from the view was especially clever.”

“I have my moments,” he said cheekily, raising his chin.

“Indeed, you do,” she said quietly. She studied his profile as she finished her coffee. “This has all been very nice. Thank you for inviting me, Draco.”

He turned to look at her, and those gray eyes were molten again. “Thank you for having dinner with me, Hermione.” He nodded his appreciation and offered his arm. She took it, and he led her down the stairs to the fireplace. They regarded each other for a long minute before he slowly reached down and gave her a lingering kiss on her cheek. It was so soft and sweet that she closed her eyes and leaned into him a bit. When he pulled away, she felt like it was much too soon.

She heard him chuckle as he said, “Goodnight, Hermione” and she was embarrassed to realize she’d been standing there with her eyes closed savoring the moment.

“Goodnight, Draco,” she said hurriedly as she made for the floo powder, blushing madly. The last thing she saw before calling out her room at Hogwarts was him standing there watching her, hands resting leisurely in his pockets with a brilliant smile on his face.

*******


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since y'all have been so supportive of this story, I'm going to post 2 chapters tonight! Happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans! Happy Tuesday to everyone else!
> 
> Also, there are a couple little nods to the Harry Potter books here - Easter eggs if you will. Kudos to you if you find them! ;-)

The following Saturday was Christmas, and Hermione was looking forward to a few days at home with her parents. One of the first things she did after the war was to find them in Australia and return their memories. The resulting conversation had been a painful one, and it had taken them several years to repair their relationship fully. She was endlessly thankful that they had survived the war unscathed. Many other families were not so lucky.

She was surprised to hear a persistent tapping on her childhood bedroom window before she had even gotten out of bed on Christmas morning. On her window sill was a very regal looking owl, and she paused for a moment, guessing who might have sent him. The bird hooted impatiently, and she beckoned him in with an eye roll. _Owls really do resemble their owners_ , she thought wryly.

She removed the small roll of parchment, and gave the noble bird a few treats and a pat on the head. He waited as she unfurled the note, a heavy stock with a gold filigree border and the initials “DLM” at the top.

“Happy Christmas, Hermione.

I very much enjoyed our dinner last week, and I hope to see you again soon.

Draco”

She stared down at the perfect script, running her fingers over the lettering of his name while butterflies ran rampant in her stomach. Suddenly, she had an idea.

“Can you hold on just a second?” she implored the owl. He ruffled his feathers in a way that reminded her of a shrug. She darted out of her room and down the stairs to the kitchen. She remembered Draco’s penchant for sweets and wanted to send him one of her mother’s famous pralines.

She took the stairs back up at a run and hastily scrawled a message back on her own piece of letterhead parchment (no gold border, just a tasteful black “Hermione Jean Granger” at the top with three small stars on either end).

“Dear Draco,

Happy Christmas! Please enjoy this treat. It’s my mother’s specialty. It’s called a praline (in case they’re just a Muggle thing).

I would enjoy seeing you again, too.

Hermione”

She hesitated just a second, and then quickly attached the confection wrapped in her note to the owl’s leg before she could change her mind. With one last treat and a pat on the head, he was off. Totally giddy now, she skipped down the stairs to breakfast.

*******

The Grangers enjoyed a nice day of presents and succulent family favorites – roast turkey with stuffing and vegetables, gravy, cranberry sauce, and a variety of sweets Hermione’s mother baked every year. Hermione had just heaved herself up the stairs to her room when she heard a familiar tapping. This time, she sprang to the window and threw it open. Draco’s owl seemed all too eager to get in out of the cold.  

Excitedly, Hermione gave him a few treats and practically ripped the scroll off his leg.

“Of course, I’ve had pralines before, but not like that. Bloody hell! Maybe I should open a sweet shoppe next and have your mother come work there.

Do you have plans for New Year’s?”

Hermione read and re-read the note a few times and found herself grinning like a fool. _What am I? 16 again?_ she thought. _Of course, 16-yr-old me would not be charmed by 16-yr-old Draco…_ She squelched that line of thinking before it had time to ruin the mood.

New Year’s Eve. With Draco Malfoy. She had to admit that was a pretty exciting prospect. However, there was a lot of pressure associated with that particular night. She was quite looking forward to sharing another kiss with him, this time NOT on the cheek, but she wanted it to happen organically, not because it was midnight on December 31st.

Thankfully, she did have a fall back (even if truth be told, she wasn’t sure if she would have accepted the annual get-together otherwise). Her gaze drifted to the other piece of parchment on her desk. She had received the invitation days ago, but she hadn’t decided if she felt like going this year yet. Looks like she’d be making an appearance at least!

Thinking for a second about her response, she absently stroked the owl’s head. He closed his eyes and wobbled a little under her hand. _Not too uppity for a good head scratch, are you?_ She smiled fondly at him and picked up her quill.

“So glad you enjoyed it, but I do think working in a sweet shoppe would be contrary to her day job…as a dentist.

My friends and I have a tradition of getting together at the Leaky Cauldron on New Year’s Eve. There will be plenty of Gryffindors and even some Ravenclaws. You’d love it! Just your scene.”

_We’ll see how he responds to that_ , she thought as she attached the letter to the owl and sent him on his way.

Just as she was getting into bed she heard another tapping. When she opened the window, the owl came quickly in looking somewhat bedraggled. When she went to remove the scroll from his leg, he narrowed his eyes at her, and she presented him some treats first.

“What’s a dentist? Is that the Muggle healer that only works on teeth? Strange business, but obviously, feeding people loads of sugar can only help her practice in the long run. My offer stands.

As it happens, my Slytherin friends and I also have a tradition of meeting at the Leaky. Strange I’ve never seen you there before. Maybe I will this time.

Hermes is getting tired of our letter writing and has actually bitten my finger. Bloody bird. I must bid you goodnight for now. Enjoy the holidays with your family.

Draco”

Hermione smiled and shook her head. Typical Slytherin, no question. What if he and his friends did actually show up at the Leaky for New Year’s? That would be quite a coup. She laughed to herself at the thought. She was under no presumption that any such tradition actually existed for them, but she was flattered that he apparently wanted to see her so badly. And at the risk of sharing the opportunity with her friends no less. _Wow, this would be a New Year’s Eve for the ages! No doubt about that._

Taking out a final piece of parchment she looked at the stately owl – obviously weary with his many travels tonight. “Last one, Hermes. Thank you for your service.” He seemed somewhat mollified at her gratitude.

“Goodnight, Draco.

Hermione”

She stood at the window and watched Hermes fly out into the night for the last time. She went to sleep with thoughts of the possibility of kissing a certain blond wizard in less than a week’s time.

*******

She couldn’t wipe the silly grin off her face at breakfast the next morning.

“Good morning, Mum,” she said as she plopped down at the table.

“You look awfully cheerful,” her mother said as she shrewdly eyed her over her coffee mug.

Hermione smiled as she sipped her orange juice. “What’s wrong with being cheerful?”

“Wonder if it has anything to do with all that tapping I heard last night…” Hermione looked at her mother who was raising one graying eyebrow with a look of amusement on her face. Jean Granger was no fool.

“Ye – yes,” Hermione stuttered. “I was writing back and forth with a friend.”

“Must be a good friend,” her mother retorted. “And a loquacious one, too.” She smirked as she took another sip of her coffee.

“Mmm hmm,” Hermione assented as she dug into her breakfast.

She was glad to leave the watchful eye of her mother as she packed up her things later that morning and Apparated to the Burrow. She always spent Boxing Day with the Weasleys, and this time, she had some filling in to do with her best friend.

It was wonderful to see and catch up with everyone again, but the two girls got down to business during the afternoon Quidditch game. Ginny was too pregnant to play so she shared a blanket at the edge of the playing field with Hermione.

After their official date, Hermione had sent Ginny an owl with the main points, but the redhead doggedly wanted the whole scoop now. Catching her up to where they were now (including the mad flurry of owls the day before) took nearly the whole Quidditch match.

When she finally finished, she let out a huge sigh.

“Merlin…” Ginny breathed.

“I know…” Hermione responded.

“I think you wooed Draco Malfoy,” Ginny said with a proud smile on her face.

Hermione had been nodding along, but suddenly, she stopped. “What? I thought this conversation was about how he wooed me?!” Ginny gave her a skeptical scowl. “You really think he’s interested in me? You know what a terrible flirt he is.”

Ginny scoffed. “Don’t be daft. Of course, he’s interested in you. Especially if he might be planning to brave our New Year’s tradition… And he doesn’t sound so terrible to me.” She waggled her eyebrows.

Hermione smacked her arm. “You don’t think he’d really show, do you? Surely, he was just joking about that.” Hermione looked at Ginny with a hopeful expression although she wasn’t exactly sure what to hope for at the moment.

Ginny met her with a face that screamed disbelief, both eyebrows raised high on her forehead. “Malfoy will be there, Hermione. I’d bet my broomstick on it.”

“Malfoy?! Why are you two witches putting your heads together about him?” Both girls snapped their heads up at the sound. Ron was standing over them – leaning on his broomstick and shaking his sweaty hair out of his helmet.  

“Ew, Ron! Don’t do that over me,” Ginny yelled as she got to her feet and shoved him back a few steps.

“What were you on about the Ferret anyway?” Ron belligerently held onto the subject. Ginny looked at Hermione’s stricken face and mouthed, “I’ll take care of this.” Then, she grabbed Ron’s arm and dragged him toward the house. Ron looked over his shoulder at Hermione several times with a look of half confusion and half horror, but Ginny was determined to make him see reason.

Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of her face, and she looked up to see Harry smiling down at her. She took the proffered hand, and let him pull her to her feet.

“Thanks,” she mumbled as she brushed off her pants.

“What was all that about?” he asked. “Did I hear Ron say something about Malfoy?” Hermione looked him straight in the eye. His green eyes were so piercing and familiar that she confessed.

“Malfoy and I went on a date last week, and he may or may not show up at the Leaky for New Year’s.”

Harry blinked back at her a few times.

Hermione couldn’t stand it. She reached forward and grabbed both his hands. “I know, I know! It’s Malfoy! What am I thinking? But we’ve run into each other a few times lately, and he’s changed. He’s actually rather charming…Say something please!”

Harry’s face slowly melted from perplexed to adoring grin at his friend while she made her speech.

“Alright,” he said easily and linked his arm through hers as he directed her towards the house.

“Alright?!” she all but screeched. “What the bloody hell does that mean? You think I’ve lost my mind, don’t you?”

Harry actually laughed at that. “Of course, I don’t, Hermione. You know I trust your judgment more than anyone. And if you recall, I’m the one that told you several months ago that he had changed. Is that why you seemed so interested that day? That must have been the girl talk you had to stay and have after we left!” He looked triumphant at figuring this out.

“Yes, I had already run into him once, and I was trying to figure him out. Obviously, your opinion means a lot to me,” she said rather sheepishly.

“You don’t have to justify it to me,” he replied without hesitating. “I’ve been interacting with Malfoy for years now – after the war, I mean. If I didn’t think he was fit for you, I’d let you know. But he’s not so bad now, and I know you can look after yourself. If you want to date him, I’ll be civil.” Hermione stopped and stared at him. This was their friendship, and it was beautiful and true. Constant respect and support. Suddenly, Harry got a twinkle in his eye. “I’ll even help with Ron.” Hermione rolled her eyes and started walking again.

“Thank you,” she said quietly after a few minutes.

“Always,” he said back as he nudged her shoulder with his.


	5. Chapter 5

New Year’s Eve came before Hermione was totally ready, but there was no turning back now. A horde of Gryffindors with a sprinkle of Ravenclaws (and maybe even some Slytherins, Merlin help her) were expecting her arrival.

After much debate, she had decided on a festive red dress made of a comfortable cotton with long sleeves and a scoop neck. She wrestled her hair into a loose bun on the left side of her head and put on her diamond snowflake earrings and matching necklace.

She emerged from the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron to an eruption of greetings from her friends – Harry and Ginny, George and Angelina, Ron, Neville and Luna, Padma and Parvati, Seamus, Dean, and Lee Jordan.

Ginny approached her, and as she leaned in to kiss her cheek, she whispered, “I thought you were going to chicken out there for a bit.”

“Is he here?” Hermione whispered back, forgetting all pretense of being coy and getting straight to the point of her anxiety.

“Not yet,” Ginny smiled wickedly as she pulled back to brush an errant curl out of Hermione’s face. “But the night is young.”

Hermione spent the first 30 minutes anxiously looking around for a certain blond prat who might be standing her up (okay, so it wasn’t really standing her up, but still). Finally, she relaxed and enjoyed moving about the tables and catching up with her friends. She had gone back up to the bar for a refill when a whisper in her ear caused her to gasp and turn around.

“Can I buy you a drink?” He had been so close that his breath had actually blown some of her loose curls and tickled her neck. She smacked him on the arm as he laughed at her wide-eyed expression.

“Malfoy, you insufferable prat! Don’t do that!” She tried to scowl at him disapprovingly, but he was so damn cute with that crooked grin that she felt herself smiling back at him.

“Malfoy, is it? That’s not what you were calling me before…” he leaned in and whispered seductively.

She raised her chin and sniffed. “Well, you don’t deserve first names right now.”

“Aw, come on, Granger. Give the bloke a chance,” said a different male voice from Malfoy’s shoulder. She peered around him to find Theo Nott and Blaise Zabini leaning casually on the bar behind him. “Besides, you’re the reason he dragged us here in the first place.”

Hermione looked up to see Draco glaring daggers at his friends, and then he returned his gaze to her with a too sweet smile.

Hermione pasted her sweetest smile on as well and said, “Oh, is that so? He led me to believe you lot always came here on New Year’s? Is that not the case? Surely, he wouldn’t lie…” Theo and Blaise let out some raucous laughter at that. “She’s got you pretty well sussed, Malfoy” came the cheeky reply, this time from Blaise.

“Yeah, no thanks to you wankers,” Malfoy grumbled.

Hermione flashed him a winning smile and said, “Well, since you’re here… I’ll have that drink now, Draco.” They shared a knowing look, each one seeing through the other’s façade, and Malfoy ordered their drinks. Hermione, almost shaking with the excitement and nervousness warring inside her, led them back to her posse. Conversation slowed to a stop as all the people in her friend group saw who she was bringing to join them. For an impossibly long second, nothing happened. Everyone simply stared at each other.

Then, thank Merlin, Harry stepped forward and offered his hand to Draco. “Malfoy. Glad you could join us.”

With only a moment’s hesitation, Draco stepped forward to shake the hand of his former nemesis. “Potter. Fancy running into you.” He smirked, and some wordless information seemed to pass back and forth in their gaze. Harry moved on to greet the other two Slytherins, and Ginny stepped up next.

“Mrs. Potter,” Draco drawled has he inclined his head towards her. “I hear I have you to thank for that fetching ensemble and miracle of tamed Granger hair a few weeks ago.”

Ginny gave him a saucy grin. “Watch it, Malfoy. I can just as easily be a problem for you instead of a help if you don’t play your cards right.”

Draco nodded gravely. “Yes, ma’am,” he said emphatically.  

“Oi, Ferret!” a male voice yelled, and Draco looked up to find George gesturing wildly at him. “Have a sit down. Tell us all about yourself nowadays.” Draco turned to Hermione with a wink and headed off to wedge between George and Lee. Hermione stared at them in disbelief. Surely, hell must be freezing over. She was broken from her reverie by an arm draping over her shoulder.

“It’ll all work out,” Harry whispered. “They’re all making an effort.”

“Not everyone,” Hermione stage whispered, and both of their eyes found Ron, sulking in the seat by the wall, now landlocked by George, Lee, and Draco’s boisterous conversation.

“Eh, he’ll come around,” Harry said with a shrug. He kissed Hermione’s cheek and went to find his wife. She and Theo were in a heated debate about which Quidditch team would win the cup this year. Hermione rolled her eyes and went to sit across from Draco and next to Luna.

She spent the next hour watching Draco charm everyone at the table. Intermittently, she chatted with Luna about her exploits at the Quibbler.

“Nargles really are misunderstood creatures,” Luna was saying. “Take yours for example… Most people would say they are lavender, but they are obviously periwinkle. We all know what that means.” She gave Hermione a wide-eyed knowing look.

Hermione turned to her friend with bald confusion. “What?”

Luna gave her carefree laugh. “Your nargles – they swarm around your head and indicate your mood. If you know how to read them, of course.”

Hermione’s brows were knitted together in the middle of her forehead. “What does periwinkle indicate?”

“That you’re falling in love, of course,” Luna stated matter-of-factly.

_She’s utterly mad_ , Hermione thought as she looked back at Draco who was now discussing the Chudley Cannons with a still somewhat disgruntled although clearly interested Ron. _Absolutely mad…_

*******

She had gotten lost in conversation with the Patil twins and lost track of time when somebody announced it was almost midnight. Her gaze darted around for Draco as Padma and Parvati moved off to join the rest of the group for the countdown. She felt someone move up behind her, and she turned quickly finding herself almost nose to nose with the man himself. He had obviously been trying to catch her unawares again, and she had a rush of pride at catching him in the act. It was somewhat mitigated, however, by her surprise at their proximity. Draco, on the other hand, still looked quite pleased with himself.

“Merlin, Granger – still trying to injure me I see. I thought we were past all that.” He looked between her eyes and her mouth.

“Well, Malfoy,” she said his last name with emphasis to indicate her annoyance with him. “As I told you before, that’s what you get if you keep sneaking up on me.”

There was the wicked grin, and she braced herself. “How about we do some sneaking together then, yeah?”

He slowly trailed his fingers down her arm and then, suddenly grabbed her hand, yanking her off her stool and behind a partition. She found herself with her back against the stone half wall with him leaning against one hand braced next to her head. The other hand was still holding hers, and he gently laced their fingers together.

She could faintly hear the raucous bar patrons counting down in a wild group at the center of the main room. “10, 9, 8…”

Draco was leaning closer and closer so that their lips were almost touching. She could feel his warm breath on her face, and she closed her eyes and raised her mouth to meet him. But she was Hermione Granger, dammit, and she could never let anything be easy.

“3, 2, 1…”

As he was a hair’s width from meeting her lips, she blurted out. “Are you only doing this because it’s New Year’s Eve?” She kept her eyes closed, but she could feel him come to a full stop and then pull away slightly.

“Happy New Year!” She could hear ear-splitting horns and small explosions in the background.

She opened one eye to look at him. He was studying her with a crooked smile. She closed both eyes again and hung her head with a huff.

Warm fingers raised her chin so they were looking eye to eye again.

“I’ve been wanting to kiss you since you ran into me in the hall that day. Fucking hell, woman! Have I not made my intentions clear yet?” he said, and his voice sounded half amused and half exasperated.

“I’m still having a hard time accepting that you might be interested in me that way,” she admitted quietly.

Sadness flickered across his face for a moment before determination took its place. His gaze intensified and held her captivated again.

“Hermione Jean Granger. You are smart, talented, beautiful, and insufferable, but I find I still want to get to know you better.” He waited a beat. “And I’d really like to kiss you right now. If you don’t have any other objections.”

She nodded dumbly, and he started the slow descent back to her lips, maintaining eye contact until the last second. Her eyes fluttered closed as his lips brushed hers, and he took her breath away with how sweet and gentle it was. His lips were warm and soft, and she needed more. Her arms flew up to lock behind his neck, and she crushed her lips to his. After a moment of shock, he wound both arms around her back and proceeded to snog the living daylights out of her.

What seemed like hours later, she was faintly aware of someone calling her name.

“Oi! Hermione! Malfoy! Don’t make me come back there!” She recognized Ginny’s voice and knew it wasn’t an idle threat.

She extricated herself from Draco with a breathless giggle and tried to smooth down her hair and her dress. The wizard looked rather unkempt as well and in no hurry to rejoin the group. She reached up to smooth down his hair, and he caught her hand with a tender kiss to her palm.

“To be continued…” he whispered, and her heart nearly leapt out of her chest.

“I hope everyone is decent because I’m on my way!” Ginny yelled again, and Hermione rolled her eyes. Draco snorted and took Hermione’s hand to step out from their private tete-a-tete.

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist – we’re right here,” he drawled, and he didn’t look the least bit embarrassed. Hermione, on the other hand, was blushing past crimson and well on her way to maroon.

Thank Merlin, everyone was gone except for Harry and Ginny. The redhead stood with her arms crossed and a Cheshire cat grin on her face. Even Harry had a twinkle in his eyes as he stood with his arm around her waist appraising them.

“Had a good time, did you?” she said saucily. Hermione found herself rendered speechless, but Draco didn’t.

“ _I_ certainly did,” he said smugly as he looped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his body. She peered up at him and stifled another giggle.

“Well, if you’re still spending the night with us,” Ginny said pointedly, and Hermione stiffened. “We’re about to head home.”

“Yes, let me grab my purse!” she squeaked. Draco laughed as she scurried to find her bag like a chastened teenager.

Harry stepped forward to shake his hand, and he sobered. “I heard you lot have a regular Quidditch game as well. How would you like to have a rematch for old times’ sake?”

“If you’re prepared to be embarrassed, we’re happy to oblige,” Draco boasted.

Harry barked a laugh at that. “We’ll see. How about next Saturday at 2? We play in the field close to the Burrow.”

“We’ll be there,” Draco said confidently, and Hermione watched the congenial exchange between them with plain amazement on her face.

Then, he turned to her and raised a hand to brush a curl back from her cheek and rested it at the base of her neck. He leaned down to whisper just to her. “I had a great time tonight.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you for coming. You were brilliant.”

He smirked. “My social skills or my snogging?” he said with a wink.

She laughed. “Both – definitely.” She stood up on her tip toes and kissed him gently. “Good night, Draco.”

“Good night, Hermione,” he said as she walked arm-in-arm with Ginny to the giant fireplace. He was still giving her that gorgeous smile as they disappeared into the flames.

When they stepped out at Grimmauld Place, Ginny playfully patted her head. “Sleep it off, Granger. I want to hear all the details in the morning.” Hermione gave her an exaggerated scowl, but secretly appreciated the time to process on her own.

She dragged her suddenly exhausted body up the stairs and fell into bed. She relived the night’s events and fell asleep remembering the feel of his strong, warm hands roaming her body as they kissed and the sweet urgency of his mouth while it captured hers in so many different ways. Luna and the nargles were right. She was definitely falling head over heels for Draco Malfoy.

*******


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione spent the next week hitting the after-holiday sales with her mum, planning a sprinkle for Harry and Ginny’s new baby due in a few weeks, and organizing her office for the following term. Of course, if she was being totally honest with herself, she had to admit that she spent a fair amount of time daydreaming about Draco as well.

He had truly surprised her on Monday after the New Year’s Eve celebration with a dozen gorgeous long-stemmed roses. He also included a note asking if she would go to dinner with him after the upcoming Gryffindor vs Slytherin Alumni Quidditch match. She replied yes, of course, and asked for details, but he refused to give any. In truth, this bothered Ginny a lot more than it did Hermione, but she had to admit it rankled her that she wouldn’t be able to plan at all. _The git’s probably doing that on purpose_ , she thought.

Saturday afternoon found Hermione and Ginny chatting with Harry, Ron, and George as they did some light warm up exercises. The tell-tale pop of apparition made them all turn to find Draco, Blaise, and Theo wearing their old Quidditch uniforms from Hogwarts. The men all moved to shake hands, and the ribbing started.

“Aren’t you lot cute in your old school uniforms?” George was saying to the Slytherins.

“You’re just jealous because you’re all too soft to fit in yours,” Blaise shot back with a grin.

Draco gave the customary handshake, and then closed the distance between him and Hermione in three long strides. He wasted no time – he snaked one arm around her waist drawing her close and then pressed a fervent kiss to her lips. Through the fog in her head, Hermione was faintly aware of some catcalls and whistling in the background, but she was in no hurry to let go.

When he did pull away, they were both a little breathless. “Hi,” he said, pressing his forehead to hers. “Hi,” she said back.

“Oi! If you two are done pawing at each other, let’s play some Quidditch,” Ron grumbled as he stomped off toward the pitch.

Draco’s wicked grin returned, and Hermione gasped in surprise. “Draco Malfoy! Did you just use me as a tactic against my team?”

He leaned down to whisper right in her ear. “No, love. I’ve been dying to do that again for 6 long days.” He nipped at her ear a little, and she shivered. “But it certainly doesn’t hurt to throw them off before we’ve even started!” She huffed and smacked him on the arm as he gave her a quick peck on the cheek and ran off to join his teammates.

“Slytherin…” she muttered as she conjured some chairs for her and Ginny to sit in. Her friend was way past the sitting-on-the-ground stage of pregnancy.

Hermione found herself a lot more engrossed in the game than usual. She and Ginny chatted some, but she kept her eyes glued to the boys on the field and had a hard time deciding who to root for.

Suddenly, Draco took off like a shot. He must have been in hot pursuit of the snitch, but Hermione couldn’t see anything. Ron came barreling by, and the two wizards almost collided. Ron took a minute to steady himself, but Draco continued on at an alarming speed. _Merlin, did they always go this fast?_ she thought, worried.

The next thing she knew, Draco quickly reached out for the snitch and caught it in his long fingers. When he looked up though, he was on a direct collision course with a tree. He tried to slow down, but there was no way he could stop in time. Lithely, he rolled to the side and dropped about 2 metres to the ground. Hermione was already running to him when he rolled a few times and came to a stop. Just as she reached him though, he hopped up holding the snitch triumphantly above his head. There was a combination of whoops and groans behind her, but all she could see was the gash on his cheek.

He reached out and grabbed her up in a bear hug as he twirled her around, but as soon as he put her down, she cupped his face in her hands.

“You’re hurt,” she said. She pulled out her wand and quickly performed the spell to heal the wound. Draco was staring at her with a funny lopsided grin. When she was done, she ran her fingers over it several times and then met his eyes.

“What?” she said, a little self-conscious about performing magic on him without asking first.

“Thanks, love,” he whispered, and he kissed her gently.

“Bloody hell – he won the game and has Hermione fawning all over him,” Ron muttered.

“Lucky bastard,” Theo agreed.

“Come on, mates – let’s go get something to drink, yeah?” Hermione cast Harry an appreciative glance for dispersing the crowd.

Draco and Hermione put their arms around each other’s waists and followed the rowdy bunch.

“So about this date tonight…” Hermione began.

“Nuh-uh-uh, Granger,” Malfoy drawled with a light finger to the tip of her nose. “Just because I’m wounded doesn’t mean you can pump me for information.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she grumbled.

They sat around drinking and talking for an hour or so and started to disperse to their separate ways.

Blaise and Theo came to tell their compatriot goodbye.

“See you later, Draco. Granger,” Theo said as he tipped his head to Hermione.

“Later, Dray. Sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye to you properly last time, Granger. I think you were too busy stealing his virtue,” Blaise quipped and then jumped sideways to avoid Draco’s smack to the back of his head. He and Theo walked away laughing until they apparated. Hermione tried to will the blush away, but Draco saw it. He smirked and placed a lingering kiss on her warm cheek.

“I need to go shower and change, but I will meet you on the front steps of Hogwarts at 7,” he said as he stood to leave.

“Hogwarts?” she asked, confused.

“Yeah,” he deadpanned. “You know, castle. About a thousand years old. You work there.”

She smacked his arm.

“Ow! You don’t have to be so violent, woman!” He rubbed at his arm like he was in terrible pain. She scowled at him. He grinned and tousled her hair. “You’re fine in what you have on. See you then!” He gave her another quick kiss and ran off.

She shook her head, smiling. _Who knew he could be so playful?_ she thought, and she felt Ginny’s eyes on her.

“What is it now, Mama Hen?” she said as she went to sit by her beached friend.

“Things seem to be progressing nicely with you two,” Ginny began, and Hermione waited for more. With a knowing look, Ginny continued. “When are you going to tell him about your…conditions?” She said that last word with particular emphasis to communicate the underlying words she wouldn’t want others to hear.

“Oh,” Hermione said somewhat crestfallen.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Yes, oh.”

“Do you think he’s expecting that tonight?” Hermione said with her eyes wide. “Merlin, it’s been so long since I really dated someone. I don’t even know how to do this anymore.” She had gone on a date here or there with various men over the years, but she hadn’t really been interested in any of them. It hadn’t ever gotten beyond a second date.

Ron had been her longest relationship, and that only lasted a few months before it was obvious to both of them that romance wasn’t their connection. He was her best friend. Of course, he understood her concerns _. Merlin,_ she thought. _I’m already well on my way to falling in love with Draco._ _What if he doesn’t want me anymore if that isn’t an option?_

She felt tears rising up, and she bit her cheek hard to fight them back.

Ginny saw her working herself into full blown panic. “Hey, hey,” she said, taking Hermione by the shoulders and forcing her to look at her. “I don’t know that he is, but it’s still a conversation you need to have eventually. Give him a chance. You two have already overcome so much. This is really very small in comparison.” Hermione nodded silently and gave her a fierce hug.

She made her rounds to say goodbye to the other Weasleys and floo’ed back to her suite. She looked at herself in the mirror for a long time – judging every aspect of her appearance mildly as she considered what tonight might hold. It was almost 7, and she took one last look at her clothes. _What the hell_ , she thought grimly. _If he doesn’t like how I’m dressed, then I won’t have to worry about anything else._

She walked half-heartedly through the castle, but she stopped in her tracks when she stepped out of the huge front doors to see Draco standing there with a picnic basket. He was wearing denims and a gray sweater the exact same color of his eyes. He smiled so broadly at her that she promptly forgot about all her worries from earlier.

He held out his hand, and she went to meet him, lacing her fingers with his. She leaned up to kiss his cheek.

“Ooh, a picnic! I love it!” she gushed.

He smiled, satisfied with himself. “I thought we might do something different.”

They walked down the stairs and out on the grounds until they reached the edge of the light pouring from the windows of the castle. He stopped and placed the basket on the ground just inside the border of the light. With a few flicks of his wand, he opened the basket, laid down a thick blanket, and set up an assortment of individual containers. Next, he lit a pair of tall candles and cast a warming charm around them – it covered them and the blanket like a bubble.

“Same charm as the roof?” Hermione asked, unable to stifle her curiosity.  

He nodded as he finished his work.

“I don’t know that one. It works really well,” she mused.

“That’s because I created it,” he said, still setting everything up just so.

“You really are full of surprises…” she said as she regarded him. He finished and smiled smugly at her. He waved his arm over the blanket that now boasted a rather impressive spread. “Have a seat.”

“Wow,” she breathed. “Not your typical picnic. I should have known a few ham and cheese sandwiches wouldn’t hold enough grandeur for you.”

He winked conspiratorially. “I’m nothing without my grandeur.” She rolled her eyes and kicked off her shoes. She went to sit cross-legged across from him, and they went about opening containers and digging into their feast.

They didn’t talk much, but it was nice to just sit together and enjoy the food and the ambiance of the castle at night. Suddenly, there was a series of heavy thuds coming from the Forbidden Forest behind her, and she looked to Draco whose eyes had grown quite large. He jumped to his feet and pulled his wand stepping around her. Her lap was full of food so she swiveled her head while still seated to see what it was.

On the other side of Draco, emerging from the forest was Grawp, Hagrid’s giant half-brother. Hermione was opening her mouth to tell Draco it was okay when he nudged her with his foot.

“Cast a disillusionment charm on yourself. I can handle this. Once I’ve got him subdued, we can go for more help,” he whispered fiercely as Grawp advanced on them quickly.

Once again, before she could respond, the childish giant spotted her. He broke into a run yelling, “Hermy!”

She scrambled to her feet before Draco could do anything rash. “Grawp!” she said in her most authoritative voice. “Please stop running.” Draco did not lower his wand, but his eyes slid to her. “You know him?!” he asked incredulously. She gave him a quick nod.

Poor Grawp thought he was in trouble and immediately stopped and lowered his head. It was so strange to see a creature the size of a tree sulking like a child, Draco dropped his wand to his side.

They heard another thundering sound and looked up to see Hagrid lumbering up behind Grawp. “Grawpy! Ye’ mustn’t run away from me li’ tha’!” Only then did he notice the couple still standing on the blanket.

“Hermione?” He squinted in the dim light. “And Malfoy?” He looked very confused at that.

“Hagrid,” Hermione began warmly. “Draco and I were having a picnic when Grawp came up out of the woods. He didn’t do any harm.” Then she turned to her companion. “Draco, this is Hagrid’s half-brother Grawp.”

The wizard looked taken aback, but he nodded his head at the sulking giant. “Grawp. Hagrid.”

Hermione beamed at him. She then went to console Grawp. She put her tiny hand on his huge one. “It’s good to see you again, Grawp. I didn’t mean to yell. You surprised us is all.” He brightened considerably at that and gave her a toothy smile.

Hagrid peered from Hermione to Draco and back again. “Right. Well, we didn’t mean ta interrupt yer evenin’. We’ll let ya get back to it. See ya for tea next week, Hermione?” He gave her a look that indicated he expected an explanation, and she smiled back encouragingly. “Of course,” she said.

She and Draco watched them retreat back into the Forbidden Forest.

“Merlin…” he said under his breath.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” she responded. “He can be a bit of a handful, but he’s very sweet really.” She could feel him staring at her, and she turned to him smiling shyly. “I know what Grawp looks like to outsiders. Thank you for moving to protect me.” She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “And for trusting me to handle the situation when I stepped in.” She kissed his other cheek.

He looked into her eyes for a long moment and then whispered, “I know you can look after yourself. It doesn’t mean you should have to.” She let his words sink in, and then she captured his lips with hers. “Thank you,” she breathed when they parted. He kissed her nose.

“Can I interest you in some dessert?” he asked.

“That sounds lovely, but the interruption kind of ruined the ambiance for me. Would you like to come see my suite and have dessert and tea there?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth she wondered how Malfoy would perceive them.

His smile was enigmatic, and he nodded. “That sounds perfect.”

They made quick work of cleaning up their picnic and walked hand in hand up to her room. He laid out the dessert as she made them tea.

“What’s for dessert?” she asked as she plopped down next to him on the couch and folded her legs up under her.

“Chocolate crème brulee,” he responded with a grin. “Watch.” He held out his wand and silently gave the incantation for a small blue flame to burst from the tip. He carefully swept the flame over the top of each of the two small ramekins and turned to wink at Hermione.

“Fancy,” she complimented.

The dessert tasted as good as it looked, and before long, their dishes were empty. They sat sipping their tea in silence. Hermione’s stomach was in knots. She couldn’t stop thinking about what might happen when the tea was gone. She was never one to back down from her fears though – she faced them. So she summoned all of her Gryffindor courage, sat her tea cup down, and wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her jeans.

“Draco, I have to tell you something. I hope I didn’t give you the wrong idea by inviting you up to my room,” she began. Draco sat his tea down and turned to face her.

“What idea is that?” he said with a slight tilt of his head.

She tried to communicate as much as she could with her eyes so she wouldn’t have to say the words. She could feel a blush coming up her neck, and she looked down at her hands. _What if he had no intention of that? What if he doesn’t want me like that?_

He reached out to take her hand, and she looked up at his face. The muscle was twitching in his jaw again, and she forced herself to remember it was anxiety not anger.

“Hermione - I don’t know what you thought I wanted from this, but you don’t have to feel pressured…” he began softly.

“I’m a virgin,” she blurted out. “And I plan to stay that way until I’m married.” He looked a little taken aback by her outburst so she rushed on. “It’s just that I come with so much baggage. I already suffered with anxiety, and after the war, well, I still experience some PTSD even now. I have a huge family – obviously, I’m an only child, but my whole extended family is pretty close and can be quite overwhelming, and now, I’m forever ensconced with the Potters and the Weasleys, too.” She paused to take a breath and looked down at her lap again. “I want to save that one piece of me that’s pure to give only to him. Something that’s his alone.”

There was quiet for a minute, and Hermione was afraid to look up. Draco gave her hand a squeeze and pulled away. Her heart sank into her stomach until she saw him tugging up his sleeve. She peered curiously at his now exposed forearm, and then her eyes got wide and she let out a little gasp of shock. The Dark Mark had faded, but there was no mistaking what it was.

“Everyone has baggage,” Draco whispered fiercely, and she met his eyes. “There are plenty of things I wish I could change about my past. I wish I was coming to you as a better man. But all I can control now is the future. You certainly don’t have to justify your decisions to me.” He gave a bitter chuckle and shook his head. “And as for the other part, well…” he trailed off, and Hermione interrupted.

“Slytherin sex god. Yeah, I know,” she said with a sly smile.

He gave a real laugh then. “That was grossly exaggerated.” She raised an eyebrow skeptically. “You know how rumors get out of hand. My sexual experience at Hogwarts was limited to Pansy Parkinson if you must know, and she probably _started_ that rumor to benefit her more than me.”

“What about after Hogwarts?” Hermione asked shyly, and Draco chuckled again.

“There’s been a witch or two since then. But not more than 10, maybe 15.” Hermione’s eyes bugged out, and that earned her a belly laugh. She glared at him. “Come here,” he said as he slid his hand through her curls to rest at the base of her neck and guide her closer. They were now sitting with their noses only a few inches apart. “Truthfully, Pansy and I were friends since we were kids. She wanted more from me, but I was never able to really feel that way about her. We did have sex a few times, but it was more exploration on both our parts. After the war, you know how I was. I didn’t even know myself anymore so I certainly couldn’t be in a relationship. In the last few years, after I managed to get my life together, I have dated two different women for a few months each. We were intimate, but I didn’t find what I was looking for with them.” They stared at each other for an immeasurable moment. “I really think I could find it with you. If you’ll give me a chance. And I have no problem waiting to find out if I’m right.”

Hermione’s head was reeling. One minute, they were joking about his conquests, and the next, they were declaring themselves.

“In that case,” she said as she scooted even closer and draped her legs over his lap. “I have one more thing to tell you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m falling in love with you, Draco Malfoy.”

His eyes were that same intensity of molten silver again, and he softly brushed her cheek with his thumb. “I love you, Hermione Granger.” And then he was kissing her, and she blissfully melted into him.

*******

Hermione woke the next morning with her head on Draco’s shoulder, and his arm around her waist. Their legs were tangled together, and she nuzzled into him. She saw the soft sunlight pouring in through her window and sat up like a shot, almost knocking Draco onto the floor. He jumped up quite un-gracefully and looked about for what had startled her.

“Draco!” she hissed, jumping to her feet. “You have to go! You can’t be here! The students are coming back today!”

“What? Is that all?” He sunk back down on the couch and rubbed his eyes. His hair stuck out at funny angles, and she would have giggled if she wasn’t so panicked. She grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him back up.

“I’m sorry! You really need to go!” she said as she pushed him to the fireplace. She turned and grabbed the picnic basket and thrust it into his hands.

“Hermione! I can’t floo to the Manor! It’s not connected to your room yet.”

“Then floo to the Leaky Cauldron and go from there! I’m sorry!” she leaned in and kissed him quickly, and he mumbled something that sounded like “fucking professors.” She shook the bowl of floo powder at him expectantly, and he begrudgingly took a handful.

“I expect you to make this up to me,” he said with a scowl. She glared back, but she blew him a cheeky kiss at the last minute.

“Bloody Leaky Cauldron!” he called out grumpily, and then he was gone. Hermione allowed herself a small giggle as she ran to the loo for a quick shower.

*******


	7. Chapter 7

The very next morning at breakfast, Hermione looked up from her conversation with Minerva to see Hermes land next to her plate. She offered him a piece of ham and took the parchment from his proffered leg with a giddy smile on her face.

The Headmistress did not miss her excitement. “What a regal looking owl,” she commented, clearly hoping Hermione would disclose his owner.

“He is, isn’t he?” Hermione responded cagily. She quickly unrolled the note and held it such that only she could read it.

“Hermione,

I have performed the spell to connect our floos. Free for a firecall tonight at 8?

Yours,

Draco”

_Yours_ , Hermione thought. _I like the sound of that._

She grabbed a quill, and scrawled back her response.

“Dear Draco,

Yes, please! Thank you.

Yours,

Hermione”

She pat Hermes on the head and attached her note to his leg. He flew off, and she noticed McGonagall still studying her out of the corner of her eye. She dug into her breakfast without another word.

*******

Hermione had been reading and petting Crookshanks on her couch when the flames of her fireplace roared to life, and Draco’s head appeared in the embers.

“Hello, love,” he greeted warmly.

“Hey yourself,” she responded with a smile.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come over in person. I’ve been asked to go to Paris for several days for work, and I’m leaving very early in the morning,” he explained.

“That’s fine. Is everything okay?”

“Sure, but I have some news I wanted to talk about. I told my parents that we’re seeing each other, and they have invited you to tea with us on Saturday.”

“Oh” was all she could think to say.

“How do you feel about coming back to the Manor? I know your last experience here was not a good one.”

She could tell he was trying to read her face for her reaction even through the complicated medium of a firecall. Images of Bellatrix standing over her with a knife appeared in her mind, and she shuddered.

“Hermione,” he said softly. “The Manor has changed a lot since then. And so have my parents.”

“You’re sure they want to see me?” she asked hesitantly, willing herself to be able to handle a trip back to the place of her torture and facing Lucius Malfoy again.

“It was their idea, not mine. But if you’re not ready, I understand. I would recommend we meet somewhere else, but Father’s health is such that he doesn’t leave the Manor anymore. We would just turn this opportunity down and wait for a better time.”

_We?_ she thought. _He still wants to be together_. She felt overwhelming love for the man he’d become and the consideration he showed for her.

“What time should I arrive?” she said with as much of a smile as she could muster.

“Are you sure?

“Yes. I want to do this.” _For you_ , she thought, but she was sure he suspected as much. 

He smiled radiantly at her. “Tea will be served at 2. Maybe we can do something fun afterwards. Just the two of us.”

“That sounds lovely,” she said, and her smile turned genuine.

“Thank you, Hermione.” He seemed truly appreciative of her effort, and she knew she’d made the right choice.

“You’re welcome, Draco. Good luck on your trip.”

“Have a wonderful first week back. I love you,” he said with his crooked smile.

“I love you, too,” she whispered. And then he was gone.

She sat back on the couch to pet Crookshanks again. “I’m going back to Malfoy Manor, boy.” Her familiar meowed in response. “I know,” she said as she stared into the now calm flames.

*******

It’s not that she didn’t trust that Malfoy Manor was different, but she needed to hear it from an unbiased party. It was a different Potter she called on for reinforcements this time. She sent Harry an urgent owl on Friday asking if he would meet her for breakfast on Saturday. She breathed a sigh of relief when he responded he would.

Harry Potter still caused a bit of a stir everywhere he went so Hermione politely asked one of the Hogwarts house elves to bring breakfast for two to her suite.

Hermione was pacing in front of the fireplace and wringing her hands when her surrogate brother stepped out, and she almost ran into him.

“Whoa, Hermione,” he said as they both wobbled, and he grabbed her shoulders to steady them both. “What’s going on?”

She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you so much for coming,” she mumbled into his neck.

He pulled back to look at her, and his piercing green eyes were concerned. “Is something wrong?”

Now, she felt embarrassed for worrying him. “No, everything’s fine. It’s just that Draco and I have gotten a lot closer over the last few weeks. He’s invited me to the Manor to have tea with his parents this afternoon, and I’m really nervous about it.”

Harry took her hand and led her to the couch. “You haven’t been there since that day, have you?” She shook her head no.

“He says it’s changed a lot and that his parents have, too, but I don’t know, Harry.”

“He’s right, Hermione. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. The way we perceived the place was heavily clouded by our rotten experience there. I’ve been back plenty of times for the Ministry, and I can honestly say it doesn’t even feel like the same house. Lucius and Narcissa aren’t the same either. And they love Malfoy. Above anything else, they want him to be happy. You obviously make him happy so I think you’ll find them very welcoming. But if not, I can still make their life hell.” His eyes twinkled, but she knew he meant it.

“Thank you, Harry. Thank you for coming,” she said sincerely.

“Any time. Well, maybe not right after the baby comes. I don’t think Ginny would let me back in if I left her alone then.”

Hermione laughed and handed him a plate and some pumpkin juice. “How’s she doing?”

“Ready,” Harry said without hesitation. “And so am I.”

*******

Hermione felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders later that afternoon when she stepped into her fireplace and called out Malfoy Manor. She was not prepared for the sight that awaited her though.

The room was richly appointed with dark wood paneling and heavy green drapes, but the rows and rows of bookshelves are what Hermione fell in love with immediately. She barely even noticed the tall blond wizard appraising her from an arm’s length away.

“I thought you might like this room best,” he said from right beside her. She was too entranced to be startled this time.

“Too right,” she breathed.

He stepped into her line of sight. “Hey, don’t I get any attention at all, or did you just use me to get to my library?” He gave her an exaggerated pout, and she smacked his arm.

“If I’d known you had this kind of library, I might have sought you out years ago,” she said with a cheeky smile. He scowled at her, and she reached up to kiss him. “Only kidding, love.”

“Uh huh,” he said doubtfully. “Well, if you don’t mind, tea with my parents is waiting. Then you can spend all the time in here you like.”

She pulled herself up to her full height, squared her shoulders, and said, “I’m ready.”

He shook his head with a smile. “Bloody Gryffindors…” He offered his arm and led her out of the library.

Along the way, he pointed out various rooms and gave a brief synopsis of the Malfoy family since they emigrated from France nearly 500 years before. It was like being in a museum and without the dark cloud of Voldemort hanging over the building, she felt drawn into the history of it. They passed antique furniture, suits of armor, artifacts Hermione couldn’t quite name, and plenty of portraits of Malfoys past who had a mixture of reactions upon seeing her with their great-great-whatever. She tried not to dwell on what they might think and focused instead on preparing herself for tea with the present-day Malfoys.

Just when she thought they’d never arrive, Draco led her into a sunny room with huge windows looking out over the garden.

“Wow,” she said, taking in all the colorful blooming flowers.

“They’re enchanted to bloom year-round,” came a woman’s voice, and Hermione turned to find Narcissa standing to her left. At her right elbow was Lucius seated in a chair.

“Mother, Father. Allow me to present Hermione Granger,” Draco announced, every bit of the pureblood manners he was raised with on display.

As the Malfoy matron began to walk toward Hermione, Lucius’ chair rolled along beside her, and Hermione realized it must be some sort of magical wheelchair. Narcissa was as elegant and well put together as ever, but something about her eyes seemed tired. Lucius, on the other hand, was really only recognizable because of his long, flaxen hair. As he neared, she could see the ghost of the man he used to be in his hollow eyes and sunken cheeks. She forced her face into a smile and nodded to each of them. “Mrs. Malfoy, Mr. Malfoy.”

“Please call me Narcissa.” A slight pause, and she looked down at her husband. “Lucius,” he said. She smiled back at Hermione, and the younger woman was reminded of a child who was being taught proper etiquette by his parent. Suddenly, she realized that it was really Narcissa who wanted to meet her, and Lucius was along for the ride. _No pun intended_ , she thought grimly.

“Thank you for inviting me, Lucius and Narcissa,” Hermione said politely.

“Thank you for making the trip.” Narcissa smiled back warmly, and Hermione expected she meant more than just coming from Hogwarts. “Have a seat, Miss Granger.”

“Please call me Hermione,” she said as she moved to sit on the settee facing the window. Draco went to join her as Narcissa sat in the chair opposite, and Lucius rolled up to stay by her right side.

With a small crack, a tiny house elf in a handsome silk pillowcase appeared with a large tray of tea and biscuits. She sat them down on the low table between the Malfoys and their guest.

“Thank you, Rosie,” Draco said with a smile.

“You’re welcome, Master Draco,” the little elf squeaked, and then disappeared with another crack.

Narcissa began to pour the tea. As she passed Hermione the first cup, she said, “Draco tells us that you reconnected at Hogwarts.”

“Yes, it’s funny really,” Hermione realized the words as she was saying them. “We’ve kind of come full circle.” She thought about that for a minute and then added, “I ran into Draco at the first two Board of Governors meetings of the year.”

“Literally,” Draco added under his breath, and she shot him a glare.

Narcissa didn’t miss that exchange. “Draco, dear, it’s not nice to make fun of our guests.”

“Sorry, Mother,” he grinned impishly, and Hermione felt herself starting to like Narcissa Malfoy.

“Yes, he told us how you were selected to be Head of Gryffindor House. Quite an accomplishment,” Narcissa continued.

“Thank you. It is an honor,” Hermione said feeling a blush color her cheeks.

The rest of tea went similarly, and Hermione found she enjoyed talking with Narcissa. She was bright like her son and obviously interested in getting to know Draco’s new girlfriend. _Is that what we are?_ Hermione thought.

Lucius and Draco didn’t say much, but Hermione considered the afternoon a success. She was quite relieved, however, when Draco led her back into the library. She was truly looking forward to perusing the collection. As she headed off to do just that, Draco flung himself down on one of the green velvet couches.

“You’re amazing,” he declared. “You’ve already charmed my mother.”

Hermione was halfway down one of the long aisles. “What?” she yelled back.

With a huge sigh, Draco pushed himself up off the couch and went to find her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“I said you’ve already charmed my mother.”

She turned her head to look at him. “Really? You think so?” She kissed his cheek and went back to reading the titles.

“Definitely,” he said as he moved her hair aside and started placing light kisses from her earlobe to her shoulder.

She leaned her head back on his chest. “Draco…” she sighed. “You’re distracting me.”

“From the library? I didn’t know that was possible.” He moved up to focus on nipping at her ear, and she couldn’t take it anymore. She spun around and pressed him up against the next shelf. Peppering kisses along his jaw, she pulled his shirt up so she could place her hands on his bare back. He closed his eyes and allowed her to continue her ministrations.

Pressed up against him as she was, she felt something harden against her abdomen.

“Draco…Is that your wand, or are you just happy to see me?” she whispered in his ear. With a growl, he bent down and clasped his hands together just below her bum. He picked her up, and she laughed as he carried her to the couch where he dumped her unceremoniously.

“Bloody hell, woman!” He kissed her fiercely. “You’re driving me mad!” She just laughed again, and they spent the rest of the afternoon thusly on the couch.


	8. Chapter 8

As the term progressed, so did their relationship. Weekdays were devoted to Hogwarts while every weekend was filled with Draco. She did make two exceptions – 1. She couldn’t miss the grand opening of the roof top bar at La Donna E Mobile when Valentine’s that year fell on a Monday. 2. When the new Potter baby arrived, Draco accompanied her to visit the burgeoning family, and she couldn’t stop him from buying the infant a child’s broom. Harry and Ginny were thrilled with it, and Hermione rolled her eyes. She would never understand the wizarding world’s fascination with the sport.

When Easter approached, it was Draco that suggested they spend it with Hermione’s family. Hermione admitted that she had told them all about her experience with him as a child, but that she had been working on them to change their opinion of him for the last few months. When the day arrived, Draco was on his best behavior. He had prepared to woo Hermione’s parents sufficiently and won over the Dr.s Granger with rugby talk and a polite request for more of those delectable pralines.

Hermione even grew closer with Draco’s parents. One Sunday after tea, Narcissa had asked Draco to help her with something in the garden, and Hermione found herself suddenly alone with Lucius. They sat in an awkward silence before the older man cleared his throat.

“Miss Granger,” he began, and she was always surprised at the deterioration in him, even reflected in his voice.

“Hermione,” she corrected again gently.

He responded with a small smile and a nod. “Hermione, I want to apologize for the history we share. I admire your courage – both in the past and in the present – and I think you’re quite the match for Draco.” He paused for a beat. “Thank you for loving our son and for making the effort to get to know us.” Hermione was completely gobsmacked and nodded dumbly, returning to sipping her tea.

Harry Potter was right, as he usually was. After years of deciding his life badly for him, all Narcissa and Lucius wanted now was for Draco to be happy. And happy he was, if Hermione was any judge of it.

*******

When the spring term ended, Hermione finally had a chance to breathe. She spent the day tidying up her office and classroom, but she was admittedly distracted knowing Draco was on campus for the end of term Board of Governors meeting. She cranked up some music on the Muggle boom box she kept out of nostalgia, and Draco found her there hours later singing and dancing about, waving her wand in every direction. He stood in the door way and watched his witch proudly for a few minutes. It was nice to see her so free and unguarded. She stopped her flitting about to focus on one particular area, and he took that opportunity to sidle up behind her and give her bum a playful smack. She squealed and almost jumped out of her skin!

“Draco Malfoy!” she seethed, clutching her heart. “One day, I’m going to hex your hand off, and then you’ll be sorry for always sneaking up on me!” Draco gave such a hearty laugh he almost doubled over with the force of it. She glared for as long as she could, but her resolve soon melted away. She laughed with him, and then he caught her in a passionate kiss.

When he pulled away, he held her close and brushed her hair back from her face.

“We’re done for the day. Can I help you with anything, love?” he asked with a sweet kiss to the tip of her nose.

“Nope,” she said with a pop on the P. “I was just finishing up.”

“You don’t have anything to carry back to your room for the summer?”

She reached behind her and grabbed her old beaded bag off the desk. “Got it all in here,” she grinned cheekily.

Draco rolled his eyes. “That thing is hideous. Couldn’t you do the undetectable extension charm on something else and get rid of that rag?”

She held her nose aloft and sniffed. “It has sentimental value.”

“Alright, alright. I give up. Let’s get out of here and grab something to eat.” He took her by the hand and started to lead her out of the castle. As they walked through the deserted corridors, he pulled her to an abrupt stop.

As she turned to face him, she recognized the wicked grin that meant he was up to something. “What?” she gave him with a wary smile.

“You said you never went to Hogsmeade with a boy while you were at Hogwarts. Did you ever frequent any of the broom closets?”

Hermione started to blush and back away, and that was all the answer he needed.

With his Seeker speed, he flung open a door she hadn’t even noticed and threw her inside before she knew what hit her. She found herself with her back up against a shelf and laughed out loud at the cocky expression on his face.

“Let me introduce you to another grand part of Hogwarts you missed out on the first time around,” he whispered seductively. And then he was kissing her, and she couldn’t care less where they were.

*******

August 2005

It was the last weekend before she started back at Hogwarts again, and Hermione found herself on a blanket in the warm sunshine. She reflected back on all the things that had happened in the last year and sighed contentedly. There was the usual trash talk going on in the background although now it was twice as loud.

She opened her eyes and watched the end of the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin re-match. It was Ginny’s first game since the baby, and Harry managed to catch the snitch in her honor. Hermione was happy for him, but that would mean dealing with a sulky Draco for the rest of the night. She sighed again and watched him fondly as he trudged over to join her. He wasn’t as disappointed as she expected, and she gave brief thought as to why before his lips met hers and all was forgotten.

“Are you going to tell me what we’re doing tonight?” she asked when they came up for air.

“Nope,” he said with a pop on the P, a habit he’d picked up from her.

“Okay,” she grumbled. “But you can’t expect me to be properly prepared if I don’t know what we’re doing.”

He gave his wicked grin, and her heart raced.

A few hours later found them on a blanket outside of Hogwarts like they had done so many months before. Draco Malfoy was a romantic, and she didn’t mind one bit.

“That was delicious. Again,” she said contentedly.

“Are you ready for dessert?” he asked with a coy expression.

“Want to go back up to my room for it?” she replied with a wink.

“In a bit. First, I have something for you,” he said cagily. He reached into the picnic basket and pulled out a square container that was twice as tall as it was wide. He held it out to her and opened it. Inside was a cupcake with a lone candle on it. Around the candle was a sparkling diamond ring. Hermione gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.

“It’s been a year since we got our second chance at meeting. You have made me happier in the last 12 months than I’ve been in my whole life. I would love nothing more than the chance to make you happy for the rest of our days.” He shifted so that he was now sitting on one knee. He pulled the ring off the candle and held it out to her. “Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?” She managed a quick nod before she tackled him and covered him in kisses. No giant came lumbering to interrupt them this time, but Hermione wasn’t sure she’d notice even if he did. 

*******THE END*******

 


End file.
